Betterment

If the answer is over there, then we’re off the hook. If it comes from the future, comes from away, comes from someone else, then our job is to simply wait for it to arrive. But it could be t…

It might be your website, your brochure, the inside of your store… This is a fine thing to do, but it’s not particularly effective. The secret isn’t to optimize the landing page. …

Seth Seiders, (Al Capone’s accountant) wrote a book about the “pivot man.” This is a key function in industrial organizations, bureaucracies and any organization with more than th…

Today we take a look at 7 personal finance goals for your 30s, including saving for an emergency fund, retirement, and your kids' college.

A few months ago, psychologist Jean Twenge released 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World. Twenge has spent decades studying generational shifts in behavior (check out the podcast we did with her about differences between generations), and her message with this book is simple: today’s kids are growing up in a world of […]

As humans, we tend to consider our emotional states as a direct response to the experiences of our lives. Traffic may make us frustrated, betrayal may make us angry, or the ever-grinding wear of mo…

We can’t change the past. But the future might be up to us. It might be best to daydream about what might be, not what already happened.

After a long innings in the technology industry and as an avid student of history, I have formed a simple personal thesis about technology that doesn’t change much, no matter the technology or era.…

by Marie Snyder

In 1918, Eugene Debs stood before a judge about to sentence him to ten years in prison for speaking against the war. His final words to the court: "I can

Long before the advent of barbells, dumbbells, and hi-tech fitness gadgets, there was the medicine ball. This simple piece of exercise equipment has been around for over 2,000 years. Ancient Greek physicians used weighted animal bladders to rehabilitate injured warriors. Hippocrates — the father of medicine himself — was said to have his patients toss […]

Each task brings three options. But first, let’s be clear what we mean by “delegate.” If I can hire someone to do a task so well that my customer can’t tell, I can choose to…

When the persimmon trees bear fruit, Li Weilin Hi hi, I’m going to be super honest: I can’t remember when I started counting editions of this newsletter. I...

I haven’t made anything new in awhile and it doesn’t feel good. I’ve been looking after a family member who had surgery, so most of my time has been spent...

We make our world better and easier with systems.

Landlords collect rent, tenants pay it. Landlords own an asset that increases in value over time. Tenants have the freedom to move on. If you’re building a business, it pays to own an asset. …

The second time you install vacuum tubes into a handmade 2A3 stereo amplifier, you’ll know that two of the four pins are slightly larger than the other two. And you’ll know that the tub…

Bud Smith built a desk for his truck so he could write during breaks in his work as a mechanic and welder. “Now that I had my Truck Desk, that vehicle was my very own rolling cubicle.”

Which skills and careers are still going to pay off in a world of ever-present AI? Some preliminary thoughts...

In every major religion, forgiveness matters. Take, for example, the Lord’s Prayer (found in the Christian Gospels of both Matthew and Luke). “Forgive us

One of my goals this year has been to become a cinephile, so I’ve been working my way through some of the classics that have influenced generations of filmmakers. Recently, I finally got around to watching Seven Samurai. Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 masterpiece has been on my list for a long time. It’s the film that […]

A short reader survey about the challenges you’re working through and the support you wish existed.

Cities used to die slowly. Ancient Rome, Babylon, Memphis (in Egypt) and others took generations to fade from their peaks. The reasons were easy to see: Shifts in trade routes Loss of political cap…

The first things humans invented, before fire, the wheel or baked brie, was trust. Trusting the others in the village. Trusting that you could get a good night’s sleep. Trusting that what you…

The complexity of our tools changes the complexity of our reality

The first German tank of World War II was about the size of your car.  The last was about the size of your living room. You can see the comparison here.

We wait and hope for the first kind, the magic that arrives just when we need it. This is the magic of inspiration, or of good fortune. The magic of opportunties offered and connections made. There…

A lovely editorial piece from Charles Broskoski at Are.na.

When we’re a little behind, we borrow to catch up. Perhaps we borrow goodwill and spend less time than we might on a project. Or we need some money to pay the rent, so we borrow against a pay…

Written pieces, talks, and other bits by Zach Holman.